In 1938, Raymond Parks’ two cousins Lloyd Seay (pronounced “See”) and Roy Hall had talked Parks into using his Hemphill Service Station to sponsor their race cars.
Seay and Hall, like most drivers of the era, were moonshine drivers. Parks got his first win as an owner on Nov. 11, 1938, at the first race held at the Lakewood (Atlanta) racetrack, with a 1934 Ford driven by Lloyd Seay, which was prepared by Red Vogt.
Parks wanted the best possible cars for his cousins to race, and had Red Vogt, (who had his own “24 hour” service station, the “Red” Vogt Garage on the corner of Spring Street and Linden Avenue) as crew chief and car builder.
Roy Hall, who inspired the Jim Croce song "Rapid Roy, That Stock Car Boy," is shown in front of a Raymond Parks-owned 1938 Ford Modified at Daytona.
Although Parks was involved in what many would consider a "dirty" business, he continues to this day to be neatly dressed and orderly. Vogt’s reputation for a spotless station, rivaling anything seen today, must have appealed to Parks.
Parks’ team of Hall and Seay were the dominant force in racing in the Southeast. The success of Parks’ cars in the months before the United States’ entry into World War II is a good example.
In the pre-WWII days, there were several races per year at Daytona. In March 1940, Hall won the race at Daytona in a Parks car with a record speed of 76.53 mph. Part of the winning effort was Hall’s 40-second pit stop after the leader had a two-minute pit stop. This allowed Hall to take the lead, which he held to the end.
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